Characterizing and calibrating a low impedance large Helmholtz coil generating 60 Hz magnetic fields with amplitudes well below the earth’s magnetic field is difficult and imprecise when coil shielding is not available and noise is an issue. Parameters influencing the calibration process such as temperature and coil impedance need to be figured in the calibration process. A simple and reliable calibration technique is developed and used to measure low amplitude fields over a spatial grid using a standard Hall effect probe gaussmeter. These low amplitude fields are typically hard or impossible to detect in the presence of background fields when using the gaussmeter in the conventional manner. Standard deviations of two milligauss and less have been achieved over a spatial grid in a uniform field region. Theoretical and measured fields are compared yielding reasonable agreement for a large coil system designed and built for bioelectromagnetic experiments at the University of Nevada at Las Vegas using simple tools. Theoretical results need to be compared with and adjusted in accord with measurements taken over a large parameter space within the design constraints of the coil. Magnetic field measurements made over a four year period are shown to be consistent. Characterizing and calibrating large Helmholtz coils can be performed with rulers, levels, plumb lines, and inexpensive gaussmeters.
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June 2001
Research Article|
June 01 2001
Characterizing and calibrating a large Helmholtz coil at low ac magnetic field levels with peak magnitudes below the earth’s magnetic field
Robert A. Schill, Jr.;
Robert A. Schill, Jr.
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Nevada Las Vegas, 4505 Maryland Parkway, Las Vegas, Nevada 89154-4026
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Karin Hoff
Karin Hoff
Department of Biological Sciences, University of Nevada Las Vegas, 4505 Maryland Parkway, Las Vegas, Nevada 89154-4004
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Rev. Sci. Instrum. 72, 2769–2776 (2001)
Article history
Received:
July 27 2000
Accepted:
February 27 2001
Citation
Robert A. Schill, Karin Hoff; Characterizing and calibrating a large Helmholtz coil at low ac magnetic field levels with peak magnitudes below the earth’s magnetic field. Rev. Sci. Instrum. 1 June 2001; 72 (6): 2769–2776. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.1368853
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